1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to Graphical User Interfaces, and, more specifically, to the Graphical User Interfaces containing a plurality of menu items, each of them possibly containing a plurality of sub menu items.
2. Related Art
Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) are routinely used to provide visual interfaces between applications and users. Displayed on a screen, a GUI typically provides a menu containing a plurality of menu items. In response to a selection of a menu item, the GUI erases the menu and displays a respective sub menu on the screen. The sub menu may further contain a plurality of sub menu items. By selecting a sub menu item, a user can invoke an application or input parameters for running an application. After executing the application, the GUI retrieves the result from the application and displays it on the screen for the user.
Unfortunately, available GUIs do not provide satisfactory continuity in the transition from a current menu to a subsequent menu. Typically, after a user has selected a menu item from a current menu displayed on a screen, the current menu either statically remains on or disappears from the screen while the menu selection is being processed. Waiting for a subsequent menu or a result to be displayed without knowing the processing status of the menu selection can cause user anxieties. Specifically, the processing times for different menu items vary. Without effective transitional image or information on a screen when a menu selection is being processed, a user cannot be certain about the expected waiting time. To compound the anxieties, a user may make a wrong selection, which takes a longer time to wait for an error message. It is also possible some problems may have occurred in the hardware or software of the system running the GUI, which even takes a much longer time to wait for an error message. Therefore, in waiting for a subsequent display resulting from a menu selection, a user may frequently hesitate to wait for the subsequent display or abort the previous menu selection.
One available solution to providing menu display continuity is to display a sand-glass icon to prompt the user that a selected menu item is in processing. However, this solution is disruptive to a user, because it requires the user to observe an icon separate from the menu from which a menu item was selected.
Another available solution to providing menu display continuity is to display a blank rectangular bar. While a selected menu item is in processing, the rectangular bar is being filed with shades showing the completion percentage of the processing. However, this solution is not suitable where the completion percentage of processing a selected menu item cannot be measured.
In addition, these two solutions described above will not be feasible in the situation where a GUI is displayed on a relatively small region, such as the LCD screen on a cellular telephone.
There is, therefore, a need for a method and apparatus to provide satisfactory continuity in the transition from a menu to another.
There is another need for a method and apparatus to provide satisfactory continuity in the transition from a menu to another on a relative small display region.
The present invention provides methods and apparatuses to meet these two needs.